Chris Hemsworth has voiced his opposition to a resort and tourism development at Seven Mile Beach, a long stretch of coastline in the Byron Bay area.
The 37-year-old actor, who lives in a $30million mansion in Broken Head, 10km from Byron Bay, has thrown his support behind traditional custodians who want to stop the development because the land is sacred to Indigenous people.
Seven Mile Beach is located south of Broken Head towards Lennox Head, and there is a development application to build 27 new eco-tourist facility cabins on the land and a wellness facility at Linnaeus Estate.
‘I fully support traditional custodians’: Chris Hemsworth has voiced his opposition to a resort and tourism development at Seven Mile Beach, a stretch of coastline in the Byron Bay area
‘I stand shoulder to shoulder, in solidarity with Aunty Lois Cook in opposition to the tourism development at Seven Mile Beach,’ Chris said in a video shared with his 48.6 million Instagram followers, tagging the Friends of Seven Mile account.
‘I fully support traditional custodians to be able to comfortably tell their people’s stories, to preserve and protect their homelands,’ he added.
‘This proposed development would have a direct impact on these sacred and significant Indigenous sites.’
‘I stand in solidarity with Aunty Lois Cook’: The actor, who lives in a $30million mansion in Broken Head, 10km from Byron Bay, has thrown his support behind traditional custodians who want to stop the development because the land is sacred to Indigenous people
He also shared a video of activist Lois Cook, a traditional custodian of Ngangbul Country in the Bundjalung Nation of eastern Australia who is also backing the Friends of Seven Mile cause.
‘I am shocked to hear the zoning had changed without consulting the community nor the Indigenous community,’ Ms Cook said.
‘We were promised this site would be used for educational purpose only… I do not endorse the development of this site.’
Activist: Lois Cook (pictured), a traditional custodian of Ngangbul Country in the Bundjalung Nation of eastern Australia, said ‘We were promised this site would be used for educational purpose only… I do not endorse the development of this site’
Friends of Seven Mile is an environmental group urging people to ‘take action’ against the proposed development.
‘Save one of the most wild and biologically diverse regions in Australia from commercialisation,’ its website reads.
There deadline for objections made to the council is May 19.
Action group: Environmental group Friends of Seven Mile is urging people to ‘take action’ against the proposed development
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Linnaeus Estate for comment.
Byron News previously reported on the proposed development of the estate, after it was placed on public exhibition.
According to the publication, ‘the applicant, BHCF Pty Ltd (Broken Head Coastal Foundation) is also seeking to change the permitted use of 14 “private education accommodation units” to become eco tourist units’.
Hemsworth is said to be ‘wary’ of the recent influx of Sydneysiders to Byron Bay, the coastal town he and his family have called home for seven years.
Wary: Hemsworth is said to be ‘wary’ of the recent influx of Sydneysiders to Byron Bay, the coastal town he and his family have called home for seven years. Pictured with wife Elsa Pataky
He expressed disapproval of city types flocking to the tourist hotspot during the Covid-19 pandemic, in February’s edition of Men’s Health Australia.
While Chris wasn’t quoted directly on the subject, the journalist who interviewed him, Ben Jhoty, noted the actor’s apparent ‘wariness’ of visitors.
As the conversation turned to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, Mr Jhoty wrote: ‘Of course, there are worse places to be locked down than Byron Bay. And like a good local, Chris was wary of the influx of visitors escaping Sydney last year.’
Chris relocated to Byron with his wife, Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, and their children, daughter India Rose, eight, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, six, in 2014.
Locals: Chris moved to Byron with his wife, Elsa Pataky (centre), and their children, daughter India Rose, eight, and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, six, in 2014. Pictured here with a friend